Gateway device allowing multiple infrastructural services to access multiple IoT devices

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a computer system for allowing multiple infrastructural services to access multiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices. A gateway device receives a use request from a first application of a first infrastructural service, wherein the gateway device connects the multiple infrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices. The gateway device assigns an exclusive right to use the IoT device to the first application, in response to determining that the IoT device is not being used by a second application. The gateway device determines a mode for allowing the multiple infrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices is configured, in response to determining that the IoT device is being used by the second application. The gateway device assigns the first application and the second application respective rights to use the multiple IoT devices, based on mode.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the Internet of Things (IoT),and more particularly to a gateway device allowing multipleinfrastructural services to access multiple IoT devices.

Due to constraints such as physical size and battery capacity, many IoTdevices employ indirect connection to a server via a nearby gatewayapparatus rather than direct connection to the Internet. Multiple IoTdevices are connected to the gateway apparatus. The gateway apparatustransmits/receives data and executes control commands on behalf of theIoT devices.

Generally, one gateway and a group of devices controlled by the gatewayare managed by one cloud service, where collected data is usedexclusively by that cloud service. To implement a second cloud service,another similar gateway and similar IoT devices need to be separatelyprovided. This may cause duplicate installation of the same type ofsensors or may cause failure to utilize effectively unused sensors.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for allowing multipleinfrastructural services to access multiple IoT (Internet of Things)devices is provided. The computer-implemented method includes receiving,by a gateway device, a use request from a first application of a firstinfrastructural service, wherein the gateway device connects themultiple infrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices. Thecomputer-implemented method further includes assigning, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application an exclusive right to use the IoTdevice, in response to determining that the IoT device is not being usedby a second application. The computer-implemented method furtherincludes determining, by the gateway device, a mode for allowing themultiple infrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices isconfigured, in response to determining that the IoT device is being usedby the second application. The computer-implemented method furtherincludes assigning, by the gateway device, the first application and thesecond application respective rights to use the multiple IoT devices,based on the mode.

In another aspect, a computer program product for allowing multipleinfrastructural services to access multiple IoT (Internet of Things)devices is provided. The computer program product comprises a computerreadable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith,and the program instructions are executable by one or more processors.The program instructions are executable to: receive, by a gatewaydevice, a use request from a first application of a firstinfrastructural service, wherein the gateway device connects themultiple infrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices; assign,by the gateway device, to the first application an exclusive right touse the IoT device, in response to determining that the IoT device isnot being used by a second application; determine, by the gatewaydevice, a mode for allowing the multiple infrastructural services toaccess the multiple IoT devices is configured, in response todetermining that the IoT device is being used by the second application;assign, by the gateway device, the first application and the secondapplication respective rights to use the multiple IoT devices, based onthe mode.

In yet another aspect, a computer system for allowing multipleinfrastructural services to access multiple IoT (Internet of Things)devices is provided. The computer system comprises one or moreprocessors, one or more computer readable tangible storage devices, andprogram instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computerreadable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of theone or more processors. The program instructions are executable toreceive, by a gateway device, a use request from a first application ofa first infrastructural service, wherein the gateway device connects themultiple infrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices. Theprogram instructions are further executable to assign, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application an exclusive right to use the IoTdevice, in response to determining that the IoT device is not being usedby the second application. The program instructions are furtherexecutable to determine, by the gateway device, a mode for allowing themultiple infrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices isconfigured, in response to determining that the IoT device is being usedby a second application. The program instructions are further executableto assign, by the gateway device, the first application and the secondapplication respective rights to use the multiple IoT devices, based onthe mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a systematic diagram illustrating multiple cloud services in acloud environment, multiple IoT devices, and a gateway device allowingthe multiple cloud services to access the multiple IoT devices, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating components of a cloud service,components of a gateway device, and a workflow of the gateway deviceallowing the cloud service to access an IoT device, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C) are diagrams illustrating one configurationof a gateway device allowing multiple cloud services to access multipleIoT devices: a mode of an exclusive right to use and afirst-come-first-serve basis, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) are diagrams illustrating anotherconfiguration of a gateway device allowing multiple cloud services toaccess multiple IoT devices: a mode of an exclusive right to use and apriority right basis, in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device allowing multiple cloud services toaccess multiple IoT devices: a mode of simple sharing and afirst-come-first-serve basis, in accordance with yet another embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 6(A), 6(B), and 6(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device allowing multiple cloud services toaccess multiple IoT devices: a mode of simple sharing and a priorityright basis, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 7(A), 7(B), and 7(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device allowing multiple cloud services toaccess multiple IoT devices: a mode of time sharing, in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway deviceallowing multiple cloud services to access multiple IoT devices, with amode of an exclusive right to use, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway deviceallowing multiple cloud services to access multiple IoT devices, with amode of simple sharing and a first-come-first-serve basis, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway deviceallowing multiple cloud services to access multiple IoT devices, with amode of simple sharing and a priority right basis, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway deviceallowing multiple cloud services to access multiple IoT devices, with amode of time sharing, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating components of a computing device or aserver, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 depicts a cloud infrastructure environment, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 depicts abstraction model layers in a cloud infrastructureenvironment, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An object of the present invention is to allow multiple infrastructuralservices (or multiple cloud services) to have access to multiple IoTdevices controlled by a gateway. In this document, an IoT platform in acloud environment and applications built on the IoT platform arecollectively referred to as a cloud service. By separating serviceproviders from a gateway device provider, embodiments of the presentinvention increase efficiency in device management and reduceinstallation cost. For example, it will be possible that an automakerprovides an on-board gateway, and the multiple cloud services such as aninsurance service and a traffic control service purchase rights toaccess the multiple IoT devices. With the prevalence of IoT, variouscloud services using sensor data and actuators are increasing.Embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism allowing themultiple cloud services to share a group of IoT devices controlled byone gateway.

The foregoing description of various exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention is presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is neither intended to be exhaustive nor to limit theinvention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible. Such modifications and variations that may beapparent to a person skilled in the art of the invention are intended tobe included within the scope of the invention as defined by theaccompanying claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying figures. It should be appreciated thatfigures provides only an illustration of one implementation and does notimply any limitations with regard to the environment in which differentembodiments may be implemented.

FIG. 1 is a systematic diagram illustrating multiple cloud services(cloud service A 110, cloud service B 120, cloud service C 130) in cloudenvironment or infrastructure computing environment 100, multiple IoTdevices 151 through 155, and gateway device 140 allowing cloud service A110, cloud service B 120, cloud service C 130 to access multiple IoTdevices 151 through 155, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. It should be appreciated that the numbers of themultiple cloud services and the IoT devices are only for the purpose ofthe illustration and do not imply any limitations with regard to thenumbers of the multiple cloud services and the IoT devices.

As an example shown in FIG. 1, gateway device 140 connects multiplecloud services (namely cloud service A 110, cloud service B 120, andcloud service C 130) and multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device 1 151,IoT device 2 152, IoT device 3 153, IoT device 4 154, and IoT device 5155). Cloud service A 110 comprises application 1 111, application 2112, and IoT platform A 113. Application 1 111 and application 2 112 arebuilt on IoT platform A 113. Cloud service B 120 comprises application 3121 and IoT platform B 122. Application 3 121 is built on IoT platform B122. Cloud service C 130 comprises application 4 131 and IoT platform C132. Application 4 131 is built on IoT platform C 132.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating components of cloud service 210,components of gateway device 220, and a workflow of gateway device 220allowing cloud service 210 to access IoT device 240, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates cloudservice 210 comprising components of cloud service A 110, cloud serviceB 120, or cloud service C 130 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 illustratesgateway device 220 comprising components of gateway device 140 shown inFIG. 1. In FIG. 2, IoT device 240 is IoT device 1 151, IoT device 2 152,IoT device 3 153, IoT device 4 154, or IoT device 5 155.

Referring to FIG. 2, cloud service 210 comprises use requesttransmitting unit 211, configuration modification receiving unit 212,device data receiving unit 213, and device command transmitting unit214. Gateway device 220 comprises use request receiving unit 211,availability determining unit 222, device setting unit 223,configuration modification notifying unit 224, device data receivingunit 225, device data processing unit 226, device data transmitting unit227, device command receiving unit 228, command execution determiningunit 229, and device command transmitting unit 230.

Referring to FIG. 2, use request transmitting unit 211 in cloud service210 transmits a use request to use request receiving unit 211 in gatewaydevice 220. The use request includes use conditions, such as desireddevice type, device location, data transfer interval, and whether thecloud service is allowed to share the device with other cloud services.Use request receiving unit 211 receives the use request from use requesttransmitting unit 211 in cloud service 210 and then queries availabilitydetermining unit 222 in gateway device 220 for any available device.Availability determining unit 222 searches for an IoT device eitherbeing unused or used that meets the use request. If an available IoTdevice (such as IoT device 240) is found, availability determining unit222 directs device setting unit 223 to enable the IoT device (such asIoT device 240); otherwise, it rejects the use request. Device settingunit 223 enables the designated unused device or modifies the settingsof the designated device being used, according to the conditionsindicated in the use request. If the settings of the IoT device (such asIoT device 240) being used are modified, configuration modificationreceiving unit 212 in cloud service 210 that has used the IoT device(such as IoT device 240) is notified of the modification viaconfiguration modification notifying unit 224 in gateway device 220.

Referring to FIG. 2, when device data receiving unit 225 in gatewaydevice 220 receives data from the IoT device (such as IoT device 240),the data is processed by device data processing unit 226 in gatewaydevice 220, based on conditions required by the cloud service (such ascloud service 210) that is using the device. The data is thentransmitted to the cloud service (such as cloud service 210) via devicedata transmitting unit 227 in gateway device 220. If multiple servicesshare the device, similar processing is repeated based on conditionsspecified by each service. Device data receiving unit 213 on the cloudside (cloud service 210) receives the data from device data transmittingunit 227 in gateway device 220 and uses the data.

Referring to FIG. 2, device command transmitting unit 214 on the cloudside (cloud service 210) transmits a command for the IoT device (such asIoT device 240). Device command receiving unit 228 in gateway device 220receives the command and queries command execution determining unit 229in gateway device 220 whether the execution of the command is permittedfor the designated device (IoT device 240). Command executiondetermining unit 229 refers to conditions on the use of the IoT device(IoT device 240) by cloud service 210 and determines whether the commandcan be executed. For example, if cloud service 210 shares IoT device 240in a restrictive manner with another cloud service having a higherpriority to use IoT device 240, the execution of the command may berejected. If the execution of the command is permitted, device commandtransmitting unit 230 in gateway device 220 is directed to execute thecommand.

FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C) are diagrams illustrating one configurationof a gateway device (gateway device 340) allowing multiple cloudservices (namely, cloud service A 310, cloud service B 320, and cloudservice C 330) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device 1 351,IoT device 2 352, IoT device 3 353, IoT device 4 354, and IoT device 5355), in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C) has a mode of anexclusive right to use and a first-come-first-serve basis. Cloud serviceA 310 comprises application 1 311, application 2 312, and IoT platform A313. Application 1 311 and application 2 312 are built on IoT platform A313. Cloud service B 320 comprises application 3 321 and IoT platform B322. Application 3 321 is built on IoT platform B 322. Cloud service C330 comprises application 4 331 and IoT platform C 332. Application 4331 is built on IoT platform C 332.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), cloud service B 320 sends a use request togateway device 340, while cloud service A 310 is using IoT device 1 351,IoT device 2 352, and IoT device 3 353. As shown in FIG. 3(B), gatewaydevice 340 assigns an unused device (IoT device 4 354) to cloud serviceB 320. As shown in FIG. 3(C), in response to cloud service C 330transmitting another use request to gateway device 340, gateway device340 assigns an unused device (IoT device 5 355) to cloud service C 330.In the configuration shown in FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C), each of thecloud services are assigned an exclusive right to use unused devices.The exclusive right to use means that an application in a cloud servicecan solely use a device without being affected by other applications ofother cloud services. The cloud service assigned the exclusive right hasa right to refer to data as well as a right to execute all availablecommands.

FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) are diagrams illustrating anotherconfiguration of a gateway device (gateway device 440) allowing multiplecloud services (namely, cloud service A 410, cloud service B 420, andcloud service C 430) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 451, IoT device 2 452, IoT device 3 453, IoT device 4 454, and IoTdevice 5 455), in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention. The configuration shown in FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) has amode of an exclusive right to use and a priority right basis. Cloudservice A 410 comprises application 1 411, application 2 412, and IoTplatform A 413. Application 1 411 and application 2 412 are built on IoTplatform A 413. Cloud service B 420 comprises application 3 421 and IoTplatform B 422. Application 3 421 is built on IoT platform B 422. Cloudservice C 430 comprises application 4 431 and IoT platform C 432.Application 4 431 is built on IoT platform C 432.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), cloud service B 420 sends a use request togateway device 440, while cloud service A 410 is inactive. Cloud serviceA 410 has a higher priority to use certain IoT devices than cloudservice B 420. As shown in FIG. 4(B), gateway device 440 assigns IoTdevice 2 452, IoT device 3 453, and IoT device 4 454 (which are unuseddevices) to cloud service B 420. At this point, cloud service B 420 hasan exclusive right to uses IoT device 2 452, IoT device 3 453, and IoTdevice 4 454. As shown in FIG. 4(C), in response to cloud service A 410transmitting a use request to gateway device 440 (i.e., cloud service A410 becoming active), gateway device 440 assigns an unused IoT device(IoT device 1 451) and IoT devices being used (IoT device 2 452 and IoTdevice 3 453) to cloud service A 410; use of IoT device 2 452 and IoTdevice 3 453 by cloud service B 420 is terminated. In the configurationshown in FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C), each of the cloud services has anexclusive right to use assigned unused devices but may be deprived ofthe exclusive right to use the devices by a higher-priority cloudservice (such as cloud service A 410).

FIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device (gateway device 540) allowing multiplecloud services (namely, cloud service A 510, cloud service B 520, andcloud service C 530) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 551, IoT device 2 552, IoT device 3 553, IoT device 4 554, and IoTdevice 5 555), in accordance with yet another embodiment of the presentinvention. The configuration shown in FIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C)represents a mode of simple sharing and a first-come-first-serve basis.Cloud service A 510 comprises application 1 511, application 2 512, andIoT platform A 513. Application 1 511 and application 2 512 are built onIoT platform A 513. Cloud service B 520 comprises application 3 521 andIoT platform B 522. Application 3 521 is built on IoT platform B 522.Cloud service C 530 comprises application 4 531 and IoT platform C 532.Application 4 531 is built on IoT platform C 532.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), cloud service B 520 sends a use request togateway device 540, while cloud service A 510 is using IoT device 1 551,IoT device 2 552, and IoT device 3 553. As shown in FIG. 5(B), gatewaydevice 540 assigns unused IoT devices (IoT device 4 554 and IoT device 5555) to cloud service B 520. Also, gateway device 540 restrictivelyassigns IoT device 3 553 (which is being used by cloud service A 510) tocloud service B 520. Restrictively assigned to use IoT device 3 553,cloud service B 520 is lack of a right to execute particular commandsand a right to modify device configurations. As shown in FIG. 5(C), inresponse to cloud service C 530 transmitting a use request to gatewaydevice 540, gateway device 540 restrictively assigns IoT device 4 554and IoT device 5 555 (which are being used by cloud service B 520) tocloud service C 530. Thus, cloud service C 530 restrictively uses IoTdevice 4 554 and IoT device 5 555; cloud service C 530 is lack of aright to execute particular commands on IoT device 4 554 and IoT device5 555 and a right to modify configurations of IoT device 4 554 and IoTdevice 5 555. In the configuration shown in FIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C),each of application may restrictively use devices being used by otherapplications, in addition to exclusively assigned unused devices. InFIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C), solid lines illustrate exclusive use of thedevices by the cloud services, while dashed lines illustrate restrictiveuse of the devices by the cloud services.

FIGS. 6(A), 6(B), and 6(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device (gateway device 640) allowing multiplecloud services (namely, cloud service A 610, cloud service B 620, andcloud service C 630) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 651, IoT device 2 652, IoT device 3 653, IoT device 4 654, and IoTdevice 5 655), in accordance with yet another embodiment of the presentinvention. The configuration shown in FIGS. 6(A), 6(B), and 6(C) has amode of simple sharing and a priority right basis. Cloud service A 610comprises application 1 611, application 2 612, and IoT platform A 613.Application 1 611 and application 2 612 are built on IoT platform A 613.Cloud service B 620 comprises application 3 621 and IoT platform B 622.Application 3 621 is built on IoT platform B 622. Cloud service C 630comprises application 4 631 and IoT platform C 632. Application 4 631 isbuilt on IoT platform C 632.

As shown in FIG. 6(A), cloud service B 620 sends a use request togateway device 640, while cloud service A 610 is inactive. Cloud serviceA 610 has a higher priority to use IoT devices than cloud service B 620.As shown in FIG. 6(B), gateway device 640 assigns IoT device 2 652, IoTdevice 3 653, and IoT device 4 654 (which are unused devices) to cloudservice B 620. At this point, cloud service B 620 has an exclusive rightto use IoT device 2 652, IoT device 3 653, and IoT device 4 654. Asshown in FIG. 6(C), in response to cloud service A 610 transmitting ause request to gateway device 640 (i.e., cloud service A 610 becomingactive), gateway device 640 assigns an unused IoT device (IoT device 1651) and IoT devices being used (IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653)to cloud service A 610; gateway device 640 assigns cloud service A 610 aright to control IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653. While cloudservice B 620 hands over the right of controlling IoT device 2 652 andIoT device 3 653 to cloud service A 610, cloud service B 620restrictively uses IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653. Even thoughcloud service B 620 is deprived of the control right, cloud service B620 can use IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653 within an allowablerange. In the configuration shown in FIGS. 6(A), 6(B), and 6(C), each ofthe cloud services exclusively uses assigned unused devices but may bedeprived of the right to control the devices by a higher-priority cloudservice (such as cloud service A 610). In FIGS. 6(A), 6(B), and 6(C),solid lines illustrate exclusive use of the devices by the cloudservices, while dashed lines illustrate restrictive use of the devicesby the cloud services.

FIGS. 7(A), 7(B), and 7(C) are diagrams illustrating yet anotherconfiguration of a gateway device (gateway device 740) allowing multiplecloud services (namely, cloud service A 710, cloud service B 720, andcloud service C 730) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 751, IoT device 2 752, IoT device 3 753, IoT device 4 754, and IoTdevice 5 755), in accordance with yet another embodiment of the presentinvention. The configuration shown in FIGS. 7(A), 7(B), and 7(C) has amode of time sharing. Cloud service A 710 comprises application 1 711,application 2 712, and IoT platform A 713. Application 1 711 andapplication 2 712 are built on IoT platform A 713. Cloud service B 720comprises application 3 721 and IoT platform B 722. Application 3 721 isbuilt on IoT platform B 722. Cloud service C 730 comprises application 4731 and IoT platform C 732. Application 4 731 is built on IoT platform C732.

As shown in FIG. 7(A), cloud service B 720 sends a use request togateway device 740, while cloud service A 710 is using IoT device 1 751,IoT device 2 752, and IoT device 3 753. As shown in FIG. 7(B), gatewaydevice 740 assigns unused IoT devices (IoT device 4 754 and IoT device 5755) to cloud service B 720. Additionally, gateway device 740 assigns anIoT device (IoT device 3 753) being used by cloud service A 710 to cloudservice B 720, in a time sharing manner. With the time sharing manner,gateway device 740 assigns an exclusive right to use IoT device 3 753alternatively to cloud service A 710 and cloud service B 720, accordingto predetermined respective durations of use allowed for cloud service A710 and cloud service B 720. As shown in FIG. 7(C), in response to cloudservice C 730 transmitting a use request to gateway device 740, gatewaydevice 740 assigns IoT device 4 754 and IoT device 5 755 (which are usedby cloud service B 720) to cloud service C 730, in a time sharingmanner. With the time sharing manner, gateway device 740 assigns anexclusive right to use IoT device 4 754 and IoT device 5 755alternatively to cloud service B 720 and cloud service C 730, accordingto predetermined respective durations of use allowed for cloud service B720 and cloud service C 730.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway device(gateway device 340 or 440 shown in FIG. 3 or 4) allowing multiple cloudservices (namely, cloud service A 310 or 410, cloud service B 320 or420, and cloud service C 330 or 430 shown in FIG. 3 or 4) to accessmultiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device 1 351 or 451, IoT device 2 352or 452, IoT device 3 353 or 453, IoT device 4 354 or 454, and IoT device5 355 or 455 shown in FIG. 3 or 4), with a mode of an exclusive right touse, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. At step810, a gateway device receives a use request from a first application ofa first cloud service (or infrastructural service). At step 820, thegateway device identifies, among a plurality of IoT devices, an IoTdevice which meets conditions of the use request. At step 830, thegateway device determines whether the identified IoT device is beingused by a second application of a second cloud service (orinfrastructural service). In response to determining that the identifiedIoT device is not being used by the second application of the secondcloud service (or infrastructural service) (NO branch of step 830), atstep 840, the gateway device assigns to the first application anexclusive right to use the identified IoT device. With the exclusiveright, the first application can solely use a device without beingaffected by other applications; therefore, the first applicationassigned the exclusive right has a right to refer to data as well as aright to execute all available commands. For example, as shown in FIG.3(A), gateway device 340 receives the use request from application 3 321(as the first application) of cloud service B 320 (as the first cloudservice); as shown in FIG. 3(B), gateway device 340 identifies IoTdevice 4 354 as the one that meets the conditions of the use request; asshown in FIG. 3(C), in response to determining that IoT device 4 354 isnot being used by application 1 311 or application 2 312 (which is thesecond application) of cloud service A 310 (which is the second cloudservice), gateway device 340 assigns application 3 321 the exclusiveright to use IoT device 4 354.

In response to determining that the identified IoT device is being usedby the second application of the second cloud service (orinfrastructural service) (YES branch of step 830), at step 850, thegateway device assigns to the first application the exclusive right touse the device and deprives the second application of a right to use thedevice, according to a higher priority of the first application. Forexample, in the gateway device's configuration described previously withreference to FIGS. 4(B) and 4(C), gateway device 440 receives the userequest from application 1 411 or application 2 412 (which is here thefirst application) of cloud service A 410 (which is here the first cloudservice) and identifies IoT device 3 453 as the one that meets theconditions of the use request. As shown in FIG. 4(C), in response todetermining that IoT device 2 452 and IoT device 3 453 are being used byapplication 3 421 (which is here the second application) of cloudservice B 420 (which is here the second cloud service), gateway device440 assigns application 1 411 or application 2 412 the exclusive rightto use IoT device 2 452 and IoT device 3 453 and deprives application 2421 of the right to use IoT device 2 452 and IoT device 3 453, accordingto a higher priority of application 1 411 or application 2 412 thanapplication 3 421.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway device(gateway device 540 shown in FIG. 5) allowing multiple cloud services(namely, cloud service A 510, cloud service B 520, and cloud service C530 shown in FIG. 5) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 551, IoT device 2 552, IoT device 3 553, IoT device 4 554, and IoTdevice 5 555 shown in FIG. 5), with a mode of simple sharing and afirst-come-first-serve basis, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. At step 910, a gateway device receives a use requestfrom a first application in a first cloud service (or infrastructuralservice). At step 920, the gateway device identifies, among a pluralityof IoT devices, an IoT device which meets conditions of the use request.At step 930, the gateway device determines whether the identified IoTdevice is being used by a second application of a second cloud service(or infrastructural service). In response to determining that theidentified IoT device is not being used by the second application of thesecond cloud service (or infrastructural service) (NO branch of step930), at step 940, the gateway device assigns to the first applicationan exclusive right to use the identified IoT device.

In response to determining that the identified IoT device is being usedby the second application of the second cloud service (orinfrastructural service) (YES branch of step 930), at step 950, thegateway device assigns to the first application a restrictive right touse the device. With the restrictive right, the first application'sexecution of certain commands for the IoT device is restricted. Thecommands to be restricted are operations that affect other applicationsincluding, for example, changing the data transfer interval, changingthe device location, and controlling the orientation of a monitoringcamera. Even when the device is restrictively used, operations that donot affect other applications and data reference are not restricted.With the restrictive right, the first application cannot modifyconfigurations of the IoT device. With the restrictive right, the firstapplication must use the same IoT device setting used by the secondapplication. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(A), IoT device 3 553 isbeing used by application 1 511 or application 2 512 (which is here thesecond application) of cloud service A 510 (which is here the secondcloud service) when application 3 521 (which is here the firstapplication) of cloud service B 520 (which is here the first cloudservice) requests to use IoT device 3 553; in response to determiningthat IoT device 3 553 is being used by application 1 511 or application2 512 (which is the second application) of cloud service A 510 (which isthe second cloud service), gateway device 540 assigns to application 3521 the restrictive right to use IoT device 3 553.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway device(gateway device 640 shown in FIG. 6) allowing multiple cloud services(namely, cloud service A 610, cloud service B 620, and cloud service C630 shown in FIG. 6) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 651, IoT device 2 652, IoT device 3 653, IoT device 4 654, and IoTdevice 5 655 shown in FIG. 6), with a mode of simple sharing and apriority right basis, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. At step 1010, a gateway device receives a use request from afirst application of a first cloud service (or infrastructural service).At step 1020, the gateway device identifies, among a plurality of IoTdevices, an IoT device which meets conditions of the use request. Atstep 1030, the gateway device assigns to the first application anexclusive right to use the IoT device. At step 1040, the gateway devicereceives a use request from a second application of a second cloudservice (or infrastructural service). At step 1050, the gateway devicedetermines whether the second application has a higher priority than thefirst application. In response to determining that the secondapplication has the higher priority than the first application (YESbranch of step 1050), the gateway device assigns to the secondapplication an exclusive right and assigns to the first application arestrictive right. In response to determining that the secondapplication does not have the higher priority than the first application(NO branch of step 1050), the gateway device will either rejects the userequest for the second application or assigns the second application arestrictive right.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6(A), gateway device 640 receives the userequest from application 3 621 (as the first application) of cloudservice B 620 (as the first cloud service); as shown in FIG. 6(B),gateway device 640 identifies IoT device 2 652, IoT device 3 653, andIoT device 4 654 as the ones that meet the conditions of the userequest, and gateway device 640 assigns to application 3 621 theexclusive right to use IoT device 2 652, IoT device 3 653, and IoTdevice 4 654. Then, gateway device 640 receives the use request fromapplication 1 611 or application 2 612 (as the second application) ofcloud service A 610 (as the second cloud service); application 1 611 orapplication 2 612 requests to use IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653.Gateway device 640 determines whether application 1 611 or application 2612 has the higher priority than application 3 621. As shown in FIG.6(C), in response to determining that application 1 611 or application 2612 has the higher priority than application 3 621, gateway device 640assigns to application 1 611 or application 2 612 an exclusive right andassigns to application 3 621 a restrictive right; thus, application 1611 or application 2 612 has the exclusive right to use IoT device 2652, IoT device 3 653 and application 3 621 has the restrictive right touse IoT device 2 652 and IoT device 3 653.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing operational steps for a gateway device(gateway device 740 shown in FIG. 7) allowing multiple cloud services(namely, cloud service A 710, cloud service B 720, and cloud service C730 shown in FIG. 7) to access multiple IoT devices (namely, IoT device1 751, IoT device 2 752, IoT device 3 753, IoT device 4 754, and IoTdevice 5 755 shown in FIG. 7), with a mode of time sharing, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

At step 1110, a gateway device receives a use request from a firstapplication in a first cloud service (or infrastructural service). Atstep 1120, the gateway device identifies, among a plurality of IoTdevices, an IoT device which meets conditions of the use request. Atstep 1130, the gateway device determines whether the identified IoTdevice is being used by a second application of a second cloud service(or infrastructural service). In response to determining that theidentified IoT device is not being used by the second application of thesecond cloud service (or infrastructural service) (NO branch of step1130), at step 1140, the gateway device assigns to the first applicationan exclusive right to use the identified IoT device. In response todetermining that the identified IoT device is being used by the secondapplication of the second cloud service (or infrastructural service)(YES branch of step 1130), at step 1150, the gateway device assigns tothe first application and to the second application an exclusive rightin a time sharing manner to use the IoT device. With the time sharingmanner, the gateway device assigns an exclusive right to use the IoTdevice alternatively to the first application and to the secondapplication, according to predetermined respective durations of useallowed for the first application and the second application.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), gateway device 740 receives the userequest from application 3 721 (as the first application) of cloudservice B 720 (as the first cloud service) and identifies IoT device 3753 (along with IoT device 4 754 and IoT device 5 755) as the one thatmeets the conditions of the use request. As shown in FIG. 7(B), inresponse to determining that IoT device 3 753 is being used by thesecond application (application 1 711 or application 2 712) of thesecond cloud service (cloud service A 710), gateway device 740 assignsan exclusive right to use IoT device 3 753 alternatively to application1 711 (or application 2 712) and application 3 721, according topredetermined respective durations of use allowed for application 1 711(or application 2 712) and application 3 721.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating components of computing device orserver 1200 (such as cloud service A 110, cloud service B 120, cloudservice C 130, gateway device 140, and IoT devices 151 through 155, allshown in FIG. 1), in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 12 provides only anillustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitationswith regard to the environment in which different embodiments may beimplemented.

Referring to FIG. 12, computing device 1200 includes processor(s) 1220,memory 1210, and tangible storage device(s) 1230. In FIG. 12,communications among the above-mentioned components of computing device1200 are denoted by numeral 1290. Memory 1210 includes ROM(s) (Read OnlyMemory) 1211, RAM(s) (Random Access Memory) 1213, and cache(s) 1215. Oneor more operating systems 1231 and one or more computer programs 1233reside on one or more computer readable tangible storage device(s) 1230.

Computing device 1200 further includes I/O interface(s) 1250. I/Ointerface(s) 1250 allows for input and output of data with externaldevice(s) 1260 that may be connected to computing device 1200. Computingdevice 1200 further includes network interface(s) 1240 forcommunications between computing device 1200 and a computer network.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device, such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or a wireless network. The networkmay comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers,wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computersand/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, and conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the C programming language, orsimilar programming languages. The computer readable programinstructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on theuser's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logicarrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions byutilizing state information of the computer readable programinstructions to personalize the electronic circuitry in order to performaspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture, including instructions which implement aspectsof the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagramblock or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices are used bycloud consumers, such as mobile device 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptopcomputer 54C, and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate.Nodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 6, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 5) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes, RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, servers,blade servers, storage devices, and networks and networking components.In some embodiments, software components include network applicationserver software and database software.

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers,virtual storage, virtual networks, including virtual private networks,virtual applications and operating systems, and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User Portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service Level Management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Planning andFulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: Mapping andNavigation, Software Development and Lifecycle Management, VirtualClassroom Education Delivery, Data Analytics Processing, TransactionProcessing, and functionality according to the present invention(Function 66 a). Function 66 a in the present invention is thefunctionality of the cloud services (cloud service A 110, cloud serviceB 120, cloud service C 130) in cloud environment or infrastructurecomputing environment 100 shown in FIG. 1.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for allowingmultiple infrastructural services to access multiple IoT (Internet ofThings) devices, the method comprising: receiving, by a gateway device,a use request from a first application of a first infrastructuralservice, wherein the gateway device connects the multipleinfrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices; in response todetermining that the IoT device is not being used by a secondapplication, assigning, by the gateway device, to the first applicationan exclusive right to use the IoT device; in response to determiningthat the IoT device is being used by the second application,determining, by the gateway device, a mode for allowing the multipleinfrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices isconfigured; based on the mode, assigning, by the gateway device, thefirst application and the second application respective rights to usethe multiple IoT devices; in response to determining that a mode of theexclusive right to use and a first-come-first-serve basis is configured,assigning, by the gateway device, the first application the exclusiveright to use an unused IoT device and keeping the exclusive right of thesecond application to use the IoT device; wherein, with the exclusiveright, the first application is allowed to solely use the unused IoTdevice without being affected by the second application, wherein thefirst application has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the unused IoT device without restriction; andwherein, with the exclusive right, the second application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: in response to determining that a mode of the exclusiveright to use and a priority right basis is configured, determining, bythe gateway device, whether the first application has a higher priorityto use the IoT device than the second application; in response todetermining that the first application has the higher priority than thesecond application, assigning, by the gateway device, the firstapplication the exclusive right to use the IoT device and depriving theexclusive right of the second application to use the IoT device; andwherein, with the exclusive right, the first application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the first application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: in response to determining that a mode of simple sharing anda first-come-first-serve basis is configured, assigning, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application the exclusive right to use an unusedIoT device, keeping the exclusive right of the second application to usethe IoT device, and assigning the first application a restrictive rightto use the IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right, the firstapplication is allowed to solely use to use the unused IoT devicewithout being affected by the second application, wherein the firstapplication has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the unused IoT device without restriction;wherein, with the exclusive right, the second application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction; and wherein, with the restrictive right, the firstapplication executing ones of the available commands for the IoT deviceis restricted, and the first application cannot modify configurations ofthe IoT device.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: in response to determining that a mode of simple sharing anda priority right basis is configured, determining, by the gatewaydevice, whether the first application has a higher priority to use theIoT device than the second application; in response to determining thatthe first application has the higher priority than the secondapplication, assigning, by the gateway device, to the first applicationthe exclusive right to use the IoT device, depriving the exclusive rightof the second application to use the IoT device, and assigning thesecond application a restrictive right to use the IoT device; wherein,with the exclusive right, the first application is allowed to solely usethe IoT device without being affected by the second application, whereinthe first application has a right to refer to data and a right toexecute available commands on the IoT device without restriction; andwherein, with the restrictive right, the second application executingones of the available commands for the IoT device is restricted, and thesecond application cannot modify configurations of the IoT device. 5.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: inresponse to determining that a mode of time sharing is configured,assigning, by the gateway device, to the first application and to thesecond application the exclusive right in a time sharing manner; whereinthe gateway device assigns the exclusive right alternatively to thefirst application and to the second application, according topredetermined respective durations of use allowed for the firstapplication and the second application; and wherein, when the exclusiveright is assigned, the first application or the second application isallowed to solely use the IoT device without being affected by thesecond application, wherein the first application or the secondapplication has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the IoT device without restriction.
 6. A computerprogram product for allowing multiple infrastructural services to accessmultiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices, the computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable byone or more processors, the program instructions executable to: receive,by a gateway device, a use request from a first application of a firstinfrastructural service, wherein the gateway device connects themultiple infrastructural services and the multiple IoT devices; inresponse to determining that the IoT device is not being used by asecond application, assign, by the gateway device, to the firstapplication an exclusive right to use the IoT device; in response todetermining that the IoT device is being used by the second application,determine, by the gateway device, a mode for allowing the multipleinfrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices isconfigured; based on the mode, assign, by the gateway device, the firstapplication and the second application respective rights to use themultiple IoT devices; in response to determining that a mode of theexclusive right to use and a first-come-first-serve basis is configured,assign, by the gateway device, the first application the exclusive rightto use an unused IoT device and keep the exclusive right of the secondapplication to use the IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right,the first application is allowed to solely use the unused IoT devicewithout being affected by the second application, wherein the firstapplication has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the unused IoT device without restriction; andwherein, with the exclusive right, the second application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.
 7. The computer program product of claim 6, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: in response todetermining that a mode of the exclusive right to use and a priorityright basis is configured, determine, by the gateway device, whether thefirst application has a higher priority to use the IoT device than thesecond application; in response to determining that the firstapplication has the higher priority than the second application, assign,by the gateway device, the first application the exclusive right to usethe IoT device and deprive the exclusive right of the second applicationto use the IoT device; and wherein, with the exclusive right, the firstapplication is allowed to solely use the IoT device without beingaffected by the second application, wherein the first application has aright to refer to data and a right to execute available commands on theIoT device without restriction.
 8. The computer program product of claim6, further comprising the program instructions executable to: inresponse to determining that a mode of simple sharing and afirst-come-first-serve basis is configured, assign, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application the exclusive right to use an unusedIoT device, keep the exclusive right of the second application to usethe IoT device, and assign the first application a restrictive right touse the IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right, the firstapplication is allowed to solely use to use the unused IoT devicewithout being affected by the second application, wherein the firstapplication has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the unused IoT device without restriction;wherein, with the exclusive right, the second application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction; and wherein, with the restrictive right, the firstapplication executing ones of the available commands for the IoT deviceis restricted, and the first application cannot modify configurations ofthe IoT device.
 9. The computer program product of claim 6, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: in response todetermining that a mode of simple sharing and a priority right basis isconfigured, determine, by the gateway device, whether the firstapplication has a higher priority to use the IoT device than the secondapplication; in response to determining that the first application hasthe higher priority than the second application, assign, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application the exclusive right to use the IoTdevice, deprive the exclusive right of the second application to use theIoT device, and assign the second application a restrictive right to usethe IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right, the first applicationis allowed to solely use the IoT device without being affected by thesecond application, wherein the first application has a right to referto data and a right to execute available commands on the IoT devicewithout restriction; and wherein, with the restrictive right, the secondapplication executing ones of the available commands for the IoT deviceis restricted, and the second application cannot modify configurationsof the IoT device.
 10. The computer program product of claim 6, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: in response todetermining that a mode of time sharing is configured, assign, by thegateway device, to the first application and to the second applicationthe exclusive right in a time sharing manner; wherein the gateway deviceassigns the exclusive right alternatively to the first application andto the second application, according to predetermined respectivedurations of use allowed for the first application and the secondapplication; and wherein, when the exclusive right is assigned, thefirst application or the second application is allowed to solely use theIoT device without being affected by the second application, wherein thefirst application or the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.
 11. A computer system for allowing multiple infrastructuralservices to access multiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices, thecomputer system comprising: one or more processors, one or more computerreadable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on atleast one of the one or more computer readable tangible storage devicesfor execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the programinstructions executable to: receive, by a gateway device, a use requestfrom a first application of a first infrastructural service, wherein thegateway device connects the multiple infrastructural services and themultiple IoT devices; in response to determining that the IoT device isnot being used by a second application, assign, by the gateway device,to the first application an exclusive right to use the IoT device; inresponse to determining that the IoT device is being used by the secondapplication, determine, by the gateway device, a mode for allowing themultiple infrastructural services to access the multiple IoT devices isconfigured; based on the mode, assign, by the gateway device, the firstapplication and the second application respective rights to use themultiple IoT devices; in response to determining that a mode of theexclusive right to use and a first-come-first-serve basis is configured,assign, by the gateway device, the first application the exclusive rightto use an unused IoT device and keep the exclusive right of the secondapplication to use the IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right,the first application is allowed to solely use the unused IoT devicewithout being affected by the second application, wherein the firstapplication has a right to refer to data and a right to executeavailable commands on the unused IoT device without restriction; andwherein, with the exclusive right, the second application is allowed tosolely use the IoT device without being affected by the secondapplication, wherein the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.
 12. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising theprogram instructions executable to: in response to determining that amode of the exclusive right to use and a priority right basis isconfigured, determine, by the gateway device, whether the firstapplication has a higher priority to use the IoT device than the secondapplication; in response to determining that the first application hasthe higher priority than the second application, assign, by the gatewaydevice, the first application the exclusive right to use the IoT deviceand deprive the exclusive right of the second application to use the IoTdevice; and wherein, with the exclusive right, the first application isallowed to solely use the IoT device without being affected by thesecond application, wherein the first application has a right to referto data and a right to execute available commands on the IoT devicewithout restriction.
 13. The computer system of claim 11, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: in response todetermining that a mode of simple sharing and a first-come-first-servebasis is configured, assign, by the gateway device, to the firstapplication the exclusive right to use an unused IoT device, keep theexclusive right of the second application to use the IoT device, andassign the first application a restrictive right to use the IoT device;wherein, with the exclusive right, the first application is allowed tosolely use to use the unused IoT device without being affected by thesecond application, wherein the first application has a right to referto data and a right to execute available commands on the unused IoTdevice without restriction; wherein, with the exclusive right, thesecond application is allowed to solely use the IoT device without beingaffected by the second application, wherein the second application has aright to refer to data and a right to execute available commands on theIoT device without restriction; and wherein, with the restrictive right,the first application executing ones of the available commands for theIoT device is restricted, and the first application cannot modifyconfigurations of the IoT device.
 14. The computer system of claim 11,further comprising the program instructions executable to: in responseto determining that a mode of simple sharing and a priority right basisis configured, determine, by the gateway device, whether the firstapplication has a higher priority to use the IoT device than the secondapplication; in response to determining that the first application hasthe higher priority than the second application, assign, by the gatewaydevice, to the first application the exclusive right to use the IoTdevice, deprive the exclusive right of the second application to use theIoT device, and assign the second application a restrictive right to usethe IoT device; wherein, with the exclusive right, the first applicationis allowed to solely use the IoT device without being affected by thesecond application, wherein the first application has a right to referto data and a right to execute available commands on the IoT devicewithout restriction; and wherein, with the restrictive right, the secondapplication executing ones of the available commands for the IoT deviceis restricted, and the second application cannot modify configurationsof the IoT device.
 15. The computer system of claim 11, furthercomprising the program instructions executable to: in response todetermining that a mode of time sharing is configured, assign, by thegateway device, to the first application and to the second applicationthe exclusive right in a time sharing manner; wherein the gateway deviceassigns the exclusive right alternatively to the first application andto the second application, according to predetermined respectivedurations of use allowed for the first application and the secondapplication; and wherein, when the exclusive right is assigned, thefirst application or the second application is allowed to solely use theIoT device without being affected by the second application, wherein thefirst application or the second application has a right to refer to dataand a right to execute available commands on the IoT device withoutrestriction.